Whistling Train Farm

“Natasha” Potatoes, Candy Carrots, Beets, Turnips and Daikon, Siberian Kale, Radicchio, Squashes, Garlic

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• “Natasha” Potatoes
• Choice of Various Squashes
• Garlic
• Beets
• Carrots
• Scarlet Turnips or Daikon
• Siberian Salad Kale
• Radicchio

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Stir-Fry Greens, Savoy Cabbage, Parsnips

It’s hard to believe that planting will start soon for 2020! In just two weeks, I’ll be planting the first of the carrots and greens for April in one of the greenhouses. Daylength makes a big difference in how quickly things grow… crops that take just 60-75 days in the long days of summer will take four months to reach maturity in winter and early spring. So far, the overwintered crops are looking good: Sprouting Broccoli plants are strong and holding their own, the garlic is sending up tender shoots and setting sturdy roots, and the experimental overwintered cauliflower is looking pretty good as well! If all goes well, we’ll have a creamy, white treat in April or May!

The dark days are upon us now… and we’ve just a few weeks remaining. I’ve finished with farmers market and I’m dedicating all the rest of the produce in the field to all of you.

Carrots and beets are hardy in temperatures well below freezing, but harvesting them is difficult when the ground is frozen. They become very brittle and it’s hard to get the dirt off. This means they’ll be super delicious though…

Last week was a chilly one, and the temperatures dropped well below freezing for several nights. That makes it difficult to any harvesting; while anything left outside now can handle the cold temperatures, they can’t be harvested while they’re frozen. Leaves will stay wilted and roots can’t be extracted from the ground.

Colorful radicchios are quite hardy in cold temperatures. I harvested all that were left before the Thanksgiving weekend, just to be safe. They even lose some bitterness with the cold.

But that doesn’t mean that they’re lost! It just means that they become sweeter and more delicious!

As the year winds down, and I am without any farmers market income, I appeal to you all to enroll early for next year’s CSA. I’m happy to make payment arrangements, or take credit card payments. I’m just worried about making it through the end of this year and beginning of 2020.

I am extremely grateful to those of you who have paid already, and for the continued support of you all. We wouldn’t be here without you!

Click here for the link to 2020 Enrollment Information

“Daisy Gold” Potatoes, “Sweet Dumplilng” Squash, Carrots, Beets, Fava Bean Greens, Collard Greens, Purple Mustard,  Arugula or Sorrel or Baby Bok Choy, Garlic

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• “Daisy Gold” Potatoes
• “Sweet Dumpling” Squash
• Garlic
• Beets
• Carrots
• Collard Greens
• Arugula or Sorrel or Baby Bok Choy
• Fava Bean Greens (use like Pea Shoots: sauté or make pesto)
• Purple Mustard
• Garlic

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Bok Choy

The days are noticeably shorter now, and fall has arrived. We finally bid the tomatoes and peppers farewell, and the cucumbers, with the first frost two weeks ago. This week we are preparing for an early Arctic Blast, as the jet stream comes down south for a visit.

Temperatures in the low- to mid-20’s were forecast for this week, so we hustled to put frost blankets and row covers on the more delicate crops, like radicchio, escarole, broccoli, and cauliflower. These fabrics don’t seem like much, but they can raise the temperature 2-4 degrees, which can be enough to keep frosty air from damaging or even ruining the crop. It means moving huge pieces of flimsy material and lots of sandbags, but if it works, it’s totally worth it.

We spent Monday afternoon covering the more delicate crops (the chicories and broccoli) in the hope that just a degree or two of protection would save them should the temperature drop into the mid-twenties, as forecast. Fingers crossed for the tiny crowns of broccoli and cauliflower that are just the size of a quarter right now, but were supposed to be ready to harvest by mid-October.

The Garlic for 2020 has arrived! 300 pounds to get in the ground pronto.

It’s not just our crops that are a month behind. Other farms are reporting the same problem, and we’re all blaming the darker, colder days of September. The last few years we’ve been blessed with August-like weather into October, but that hasn’t been the case this year. So many things that should have been ready for you to eat, simply are not.

Frost looks pretty on red or green leaves, but that frost can burst cell walls and ruin leaves, several layers down. It also turns delicate broccoli buds into black mush. Nobody wants to eat that.

So, while we have an abundance of carrots and beets, some of the bonus brassicas and greens are in short supply. In fact, there’s a wad of bad news coming, which you will receive in an email shortly. Basically, the CSA will be running about 5 weeks short of the promised 40 weeks. I’ll be offering a credit toward next year’s CSA, but that’s the best I can do, as I’ll be also cutting my farmers market season short in order to continue the CSA through Christmas.

But, anyway, the good news is that I finally got the garlic ordered and it has arrived, and we’ll start planting that for 2020 later this week. So that’s exciting.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• “Sangre” Potatoes
• Garlic
• Beets
• Carrots
• Sweet Escamillo Peppers
• sweet Lunchbox Peppers
• Brussels Sprouts Tops
• Komatsuna (use like baby bok choy) or Purple Salad Mustard
• Parsley or Thyme
• Tomatoes or Onions

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Baby Daikon, Winter Squashes, Collard Greens

I’ll add to this post later today….

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• New Potatoes
• Garlic
• Snap Beans or Romano Beans
• Carrots
• Butter Lettuce
• Red Romaine Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes

• U-PICK FLOWERS

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Shelling Beans, Broccoli, Peppers, Eggplant

In the midst of all the harvesting that needs to be done, northwest farmers are also in the midst of the final push to get anything and everything planted.

U-Pick flowers are ready and waiting for you to take them home!!

Perhaps you’ve noticed that the days are getting shorter? The plants have noticed too, and their internal clocks are ticking. We are pushing hard to get all of the planting done that will carry all of us through the end of the year and into spring. There actually is a deadline; a point where plants will not grow and mature because there isn’t enough light for them to grow. While they may sit patiently and wait to be harvested in the dark, rainy days to come, they will not actually do any more growing until February.

So this week we are planting broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. Next week we plant turnips, spinach, and radishes, and in the final week of August, I’ll plant arugula, baby bok choi, and other tasty greens.

Then we water and cultivate EVERYTHING until the rainy season gets here. Which reminds me: our biggest water bill is about to arrive, at the same time that payroll is its highest and garlic seed needs to be purchased. That means that it’s time for my annual appeal and amazing CSA payment offer!

I would be most appreciative to any families who are able to prepay for their 2020 CSA Share by September 1, and those who are able to prepay can subtract 10% of their 40-week share cost. This means that a Small Share will cost $900 instead of $1,000, and a Large Share will cost $1,620 instead of $1,800. It’s a heck of a deal for you, and it’s a huge help to me!

New Potatoes, Cucumbers, Beet Greens, Cilantro, Spinach, Lettuce, Garlic, Dill, Sugarsnap Peas

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• New Potatoes
• Fresh Garlic
• Sugarsnap Peas
• Napa Cabbage or Spinach
• Lettuce
• Cucumbers

• Beet Greens, Salas Mustard, or Pea Shoots

• Cilantro, Dill, or Mint

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Cabbage, Carrots, Green Beans, Summer Squash

This has been the strangest summer weather we’ve had in quite a long stretch. Just enough rain and warmth to grow weeds like crazy, too wet to work ground well or plant, and too wet to cultivate and keep weeds in check. So we’re doing our best. Some things have been happy, others have not.

Most crops are running later than I’d hoped for. Mystery Boxes are delayed a week because things aren’t ready. But I’m thankful that there is just enough to feed everyone, and make a bit of cash at market to cover bills and payroll.

Thanks as always to all of you for being understanding!

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• Fava Beans
• Fresh Garlic
• Baby Fennel
• Kohlrabi
• Spicy Salad Mustard or
• Shungiku (Chrysanthemum Greens)

• Red Salanova Lettuce

• Green Salanova Lettuce

• Cilantro

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Napa Cabbage, Sugar Snap Peas, Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Green Beans

Salad Turnips, Purple Radishes, Leeks, Spring Onions, Sorrel, Pea Shoots, and Spicy Salad Mustard.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• Leeks
• Radishes
• Spring Onions
• Pea Shoots
• Baby Turnips with Greens
• Sorrel or Spicy Salad Mustard

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Spinach, Baby Kale, Turnips, Green Shallots

Spring is in full-swing now, and there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done. Please accept my apologies for not answering emails promptly. To add to the usual craziness, the walk-in cooler broke, and the estimate for repair was higher than expected, so we’re having to reduce the size of the cooler area and use a new system. This means all harvesting needs to be done the day of distribution, which is just a bit stressful. Hopefully it will be up and running by  next week!

It’s hard to believe, but its already time to plant fall and winter crops. This is a Brussels Sprout seed. They’ll grow in the greenhouse for a month or so, then get planted outside in June, and they’ll be ready to harvest October through the end of CSA season.

The ground has dried out nicely, and we’re getting it worked up as quickly as we can. Fertilizing is a must, and soil-testing has shown that the soil here is deficient in many minerals. Not surprising considering how much rain washes through the soil in the winter months. I’ve become a convert of remineralizing, as well as fertilizing with the Big Three (nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium). I truly believe that mineral-rich soil grows more nutrient-dense food, which makes for healthier humans. The crops I’ve grown on these improved sections also seems to taste better.

Gypsum is a rich source of sulfur and calcium. Our soils are deficient in both, and sulfur is necessary for plants to effectively metabolize nitrogen so that they can grow and photosynthesize. The minerals in gypsum originated from ancient hydrothermic vents, and other volcanic activity. Fun Fact: The White Sands of New Mexico are made of grains of crystallized gypsum.

Our soils are deficient in Magnesium and Calcium, and that’s what Dolomite Lime is made from. Most dolomite originated as ancient seabed sediments.

I believe strongly in remineralizing our rain-leached soils with rock powders. Azomite is mined in Utah from a 35 million-year-old volcanic ash deposit, inundated by an ancient sea. It’s brimming with Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium, but also packed full of trace minerals.

The season of dependable rain has passed, and as quick as crops are planted they need to be irrigated. Sprinklers and drip-tape are running constantly. Even with the increased water, the sudden shift in daylength and temperature with the sunny days and frosty nights has caused many crops to bolt, or start flowering. This is normal every year, and this transition week is tricky as far as diversity of product is concerned.

This is how salad turnips look when they’re plucked from the soil…

And this is how Salad Turnips look after they’ve been washed. So pretty!

Because of this, I’m considering skipping next week’s CSA. I have a lot of radishes, turnips, and garlic, and not a lot else. I’m not sure it’s worth everyone’s time to pick up three items. Besides, I could use the extra days of not harvesting for getting crops in the ground. fixing the walk-in cooler, and setting up irrigation. If I do skip one week, it will be made up at the end of the year with extra storage crops and brassicas.

Enjoy the sun, and happy May Day!